Serena Williams vs. Simona Halep: Score and Reaction from 2016 US Open

Serena Williams received a scare Wednesday night, but her run at the 2016 U.S. Open in New York continues, as she edged past fifth-seeded Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in a grueling match to clinch a spot in the semifinals against Karolina Pliskova.  

Williams is now 8-1 all-time against Halep—whose lone win against the world No. 1 came two years ago at the WTA Finals in Singapore. She's also 6-1 versus the Romanian on hard courts. 

Serena hadn't dropped a set at the year's final Grand Slam entering Wednesday night's quarterfinal, but she had to be wary of the opposition. Halep previously pushed Williams to three sets on two occasions—including last year in Miami—and those slip-ups figured to put the tournament favorite on alert. 

With their recent history in mind, Serena came out locked and loaded with a fierce serve that has been the foundation of her dominant game all tournament long. She notched three aces during the first game alone prior to a quick break that gave her a 2-0 lead. 

The New York Times' Christopher Clarey took note of Williams' intense demeanor during the match's opening game: 

"

Um, three aces in the opening game for Serena#messagedelivered

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) September 7, 2016"

Tennis Magazine's Steve Tignor pointed out Serena's early statistical dominance: 

However, Halep battled back in impressive fashion with a hold at 3-1. She then secured the first break of the tournament against Serena at 3-2 by keeping her opponent at bay with deep return shots that peppered the baseline. 

That hiccup threatened to throw a wrench into Serena's first set, but she broke back at 4-2, seized a commanding lead and closed out the frame in emphatic fashion with a third break point, as the U.S. Open documented on Twitter:

By the time the stanza came to a close, Serena had piled up six aces and 13 winners. By comparison, Halep didn't manage a single ace and recorded just three winners during the same span. 

That said, she cranked things up a notch after an underwhelming showing in the first set. 

Halep warded off a stunning seven break points to knot the second set at one game apiece, and she used that momentum to send Serena scrambling during several long rallies en route to a second break-point win that led to a 3-1 lead. 

As it turns out, that little bit of cushion was all Halep needed.

Although Williams saved four set points with a chance to break down 4-5, Halep dictated pace from the baseline with a slew of staggering forehands and withstood Williams' charge to level the match at one set apiece.  

WTA Insider offered an overview of Serena's struggles throughout the stanza: 

And while Williams was bested repeatedly during break-point opportunities in the second set, she responded and went up a break at 3-1, which effectively allowed her to put the match away. 

That resilient return to form bodes well for Williams, who will face another big challenge when she returns to the court Thursday night against Pliskova, who's coming off a fourth-round win over Venus Williams and quarterfinal victory over Ana Konjuh.  

However, Serena will pose a far stiffer test than either of those competitors. 

Pliskova lost to Serena in straight sets during their only meeting two years ago at Stanford, and Serena's first serve has been the tournament's most potent weapon on the women's side of the draw. 

Serena has lost more than four games in a set just once at the U.S. Open. She should be feeling good about exorcising demons in New York a year after Roberta Vinci bounced her in the semifinals. 

Post-Match Reaction

"I knew if I wanted to win this, I had to step it up in the third set," Williams said, according to Tennis.com on Twitter. 

"I knew that I could play a lot better, and I felt like I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit in the second set," Williams added, per the Associated Press' Howard Fendrich. "Also, Simona started playing really well. She kept going for shots, and she did what she needed to do."

And even though her semifinal showdown with Pliskova is already less than 24 hours away, Williams sounded excited about the prospect of another tough test. 

"I look forward to it, I have nothing to lose," she said, per Tennis.com.